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Critics agree that for Lippman's Tess Monaghan series, this 10th installment is quite good, if relatively lighter fare than her recent stand-alone work. Lippman, a former reporter who is married to David Simon, the coproducer of the HBO series The Wire, knows Baltimore's unique urban traits and culture, and it shows in her detailed settings, convincing dialogue, and generally nuanced characters. If not all possess as much depth as Tess, however, the Hollywood actors add compelling flair. One rev

Critics agree that for Lippman's Tess Monaghan series, this 10th installment is quite good, if relatively lighter fare than her recent stand-alone work. Lippman, a former reporter who is married to David Simon, the coproducer of the HBO series The Wire, knows Baltimore's unique urban traits and culture, and it shows in her detailed settings, convincing dialogue, and generally nuanced characters. If not all possess as much depth as Tess, however, the Hollywood actors add compelling flair. One reviewer complained that the novel's premise was more interesting than its execution, and the Providence Journal found weak characters and plots. Yet even that critic, entranced by Lippman's psychological acuity, kept turning the pages

This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.